Food Friday - Our riders’ meal plan for a strength training

Our riders focus on the best performance on their bikes which requires more than training rides. A proper meal plan is, for example, part of the strategy as well, and so is strength training. We take you with us to the strength training of our riders: what do they eat? And which exercises are done? You will read it in this Food Friday.

The period of the year determines the frequency at which a strength training occurs on our riders’ schedules. In the winter, our riders need to work on their strength with specific training rides and about twice a week a strength training. The exercises are quite generic ones, such as squats, lunges and deadlifts. The intensity and frequency varies per rider. A sprinter, such as Dylan Groenewegen, has to do a heavy workout with a lot of weight exercises. The muscle mass is necessary for the explosive character of their rides. On the contrary, a climber, such as Steven Kruijswijk, has to do a lot of coordination exercises without weights. A light body weight (in a responsible manner) is of great importance for a climber in order to cycle uphill fast. Muscles are heavier than fat, so a climber should not gain more muscle mass than necessary.In the competitive season, the focus is to keep the strength of our riders on a steady level. Heavy strength trainings are generally skipped to avoid the risk of muscle strain. Moreover, the frequency of strength trainings is lowered to about once a week.

Our riders always eat a meal which is high in carbohydrates before their strength training, combined with some protein. With heavy strength trainings, our riders consume extra carbohydrates during the training itself, such as with a sports drink. After a strength training, another meal is waiting for our riders. This time, the focus is on protein for proper muscle recovery. The meal will be high in carbohydrates as well to supplement all necessary nutrients. An example of a recovery meal is bread with chicken breast and some low-fat quark.

Another favorite food item for recovery is a Vifit Sport Recovery Bar or Shake. The recovery process is kick-started if you consume protein within an hour. A product from the Vifit Sport Recovery line is perfect to kick-start the recovery process within this first hour. A bar has, for example, about 20 grams of protein and quite some carbohydrates.